Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has been a subject of intense scrutiny and criticism since his inauguration and even prior to it.
His detractors, spanning the political, media, and arts sectors, have often painted him as a malevolent figure, likening his potential second term to the destructive reign of Adolf Hitler in Germany.
However, these critics often overlooked the fact that their attacks on Trump were perceived as assaults on the 80 to 90 million industrious Americans residing in rural and small-town America. Many of these individuals, a significant number of whom are Christians, admire Trump despite his flaws. They appreciate his staunch advocacy for issues that deeply concern them, such as immigration, trade, employment, inflation, faith, and family values.
One such ardent supporter of Trump was Corey Comperatore, a firefighter and father of two daughters. Comperatore tragically lost his life at a Trump rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, while doing what came naturally to him: shielding his family with his own body and life.
"We were all there as a family," said Helen Comperatore, Corey's bereaved wife. "He was just so excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family." The couple, who were childhood sweethearts, were on the verge of celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary when they attended the local Trump rally on a sunny Saturday evening.
However, what began as a joyous day quickly turned into a nightmare for the Comperatore family. "Get down!" were the last words Corey uttered, according to Helen. "He was a simple man who put his wife and kids first all the time," she added.
Echoing her mother's sentiments, Allyson, Corey's daughter, posted on social media, "He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. He was the best dad a girl could ever ask for. He was a real-life superhero."
So, who was this 50-year-old man whose final act of sacrifice would thrust him into the global spotlight? After graduating from high school, Comperatore served in the Army Reserve for a decade. He was employed by the same manufacturing company for several years, eventually becoming a project and tooling engineer at the plastic company JSP. He also served in the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, including as chief.
Comperatore's character was lauded by friends, colleagues, and neighbors, even those with differing political views. Paul Hayden, a neighbor, described him as an easygoing individual, and their political differences did not hinder their friendship. "He knew I was a Biden fan, I knew he's a Trump fan," Hayden told NBC News. "But we never let that come in between us. We still talked to each other."
David Fennell, who worked under Comperatore for 20 years, recalled how he often came to work smelling of smoke from his firefighting duties. "You want to know what type of person he was? I had brain cancer, and he kept in touch with me the whole time I had my chemo and everything," Fennell said.
Steven Warheit, a lifelong friend who considered Comperatore a brother, reminisced about their youthful escapades of skipping classes to hunt and fish. "Corey was a great man that loved his family fiercely and did the same with God," he wrote on Facebook.
According to Newsweek, the source of Comperatore's compassion, character, and servant heart was his deep Christian faith. Although media reports often glossed over his profound Christian convictions, he was a longstanding member of Cabot Church, a local Global Methodist congregation. Friends and family attested to his joyful contributions of time, talent, and resources to the church.
"Corey's love for Jesus was clear in the way he lived his life. He served his family, his church, his community and his country [in the Army Reserve], and he did all that with a heart of service to the Lord," said Reverend Jonathan Fehl, the pastor-in-charge at Cabot Church. "Whether it was taking part in a small group or lending his expertise to a building project, he was always helping the people around him."
Butler County, where Comperatore lived, served, and died, voted nearly 66 percent for Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. The county is home to many families like the Comperatores who fervently support the former president. However, for years, voters in red counties across America have been caricatured and ridiculed by politicians and media elites. This trend began in 2008 when Senator Barack Obama explained to a roomful of donors at a San Francisco fundraising event why rural and Rust Belt voters had abandoned the Democratic Party.
"It's not surprising that they get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," he said to applause.
In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton echoed Obama's rhetoric. "You could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?" The audience broke into applause as Clinton continued. "The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobicyou name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up," she said.
President Joe Biden escalated the ridicule and vitriol during the past four years. "It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy that underpins theI'm going to say something, it's like semi-fascism," Biden said at a recent donor event to roaring applause, describing the Make America Great Again movement and its followers.
Biden has not shied away from labeling Trump followers like Comperatore as racists. A recent speech of Biden's at the NAACP was described by a magazine as such.
The relentless chorus claiming that Trump and his supporters are part of a movement posing an "existential threat" to democracy continues. They are painted as dangerous individuals with perilous ideas.
The most egregious is the Democratic Party and media's use of the term "Christian nationalist" to describe individuals like Comperatore. As if loving one's nation and Jesus Christ simultaneously is somehow reprehensible.
It's hardly surprising that rural and working-class voters have deserted the party that claims to champion the working class. Instead of respecting the voters of vast regions of America and addressing their genuine concerns and issues, the Democratic Party and its allies in the mainstream media and arts have chosen to attack the GOP's leader and the tens of millions of honorable and decent Americans he represents.
Even after Trump's departure, honorable and decent Americans like Corey Comperatore and his family will continue to vote for the party and candidates who genuinely care for and fight for them. For the foreseeable future, Butler County and similar counties across America will remain Trump Country.
The Democrats seem indifferent to this reality.
Newsweek is dedicated to challenging conventional wisdom and seeking connections in the pursuit of common ground.
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